Dry product dispenser means



' 19 K'AANE'HE 3,3

DRY PRODUCT DISPENSER MEANS Filed Feb 8, 1 966 INVENTOR;

John Kacmehe BY M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,344,958 DRY PRQDUCTDISPENSER MEANS John Kaanehe, 1516 Kain. IV Road, Honolulu, Hawaii 96819Filed Feb. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 525,931 4 Claims. (Cl. 222-181) ABSTRACT OFTHE DESCLOSURE A dispenser for powdered material from the originalpackage with a walled holder for the package, a hopper below the packageto direct the package contents by gravity to a valve for discharge ofthe powdered material into a receiving area without spillage of thepowder laterally of the hopper.

My invention relates to dry product dispenser means, such as fordetergent powders, soap flakes and the like, although in some instancesthe dispenser may be used to dispense granular products of any kind,such as coflee, sugar and the like.

More particularly my invention relates to dispenser means consisting ofa combined holder and dispenser with a valved discharge end for anoriginal cardboard pack-age filled with a dry product, one end of whichmay have been opened and inverted therein, said package holder anddispenser being mounted in a bracket secured to a vertical surface sothe dispenser valve at the discharge end of the dispenser may beoperated, and an adjacently mounted shelf for support of a measuring cuppositioned thereon in a suitable position to receive a desired quantityof the detergent as it flows through the dispenser valve from the openend of the inverted package in the combined holder and dispenser.

One object of the invention is to provide convenient and useful drystorage of an original dry product container or carton.

A second object is to provide efiicient and easy dispensing of drypowdered products, such as detergent powders, soap flakes and the likefrom a conveniently positioned wall mounted unit near to washingapparatus, such as a dishwasher or other automatic washing machine.

A third object is to provide a substantially accurate predeterminedvalve controlled discharge of dry deterggent and the like to anintegrally connected measuring area comprising a shelf with a measuringreceptacle thereon for collecting a quantity apropos to a known washcycle.

A fourth object is to provide a dispenser of high utility and attractiveappearance and of extremely light weight and flexible material assembledin a desirable flexible and vi'brationless construction.

A fifth object is to provide, in combination, a detergent holder anddispenser which prevents spilling and precludes undesirable wetting andmoisture contamination of the detergent prior to actual use thereof.

The above and other objects and advantages of my present invention willappear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detaileddescription which follows, taken with the accompanying drawings whereinseveral novel features thereof are illustrated. It is to be expresslyunderstood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose ofillustration only and are not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe invention.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like partsthroughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of my invention including :a novel wallmounted bracket, a dispenser and valve unit combination mountabletherein with a usual cardboard detergent package in the dispenserinverted and opened at its inverted end so its contents may be dispensedby gravity through the valve unit; and

FIGURE 2 is a partial view in side elevation of the novel detergentdispensing valve arrangement at the bottom portion of the dispenser.

Generally the present dispenser device includes a novel wall bracket A;a novel dispenser B adapted to receive an original cardboard package Cfilled with a dry product, such as a dry detergent and hold the same inan inverted dispensing position, to permit gravity flow of the drypackage contents from the package through a novel valve assembly E atthe lower part of the dispenser into a measuring cup supported below thevalve on a shelf conn-ected with the wall bracket.

Wall bracket Now with particulamr reference to FIGURE 1, the wallbracket A comprises a sheet 10 of suitable resiliently flexiblematerial, such as a flexible plastic, although any light weight thinsheet material, such as aluminum or tin plate may be used. This sheet 10is fabricated into the preferably integral formation of the wall bracketA by forming it with substantially right angled longitudinal side walls11 and 12, which are preferably yieldably flexible. These walls aretransversely spaced to provide the boundaries along longitudinal edgesof a rear wall or plate 13, which continues to extend downward forformation into a measuring cup support shelf to be hereinafter describedin more detail. This backing plate 13 is formed adjacent each upper andlower corner thereof with a fastener opening, whereby the bracket A maybe fastened, for example, by a screw S to a wall or other suitablevertical surf-ace.

Each yieldably movable side wall 11 and 12 of the bracket A is formedintermediate the width thereof with a slot 14. Each slot is open at theperipheral edge of each respective wall in the provision of an openportion or mouth 15. These mouth portions of each side wall are definedat their respective entry portions by spaced rounded lips 16 and 17,which smoothly blend into the elongated spaced side edges 18 and 19 ofthe material vforming the respective side walls 11 and 12, see FIG- URE1.

Thus the bracket A is formed to serve as a receiving ,chanuel boundedwith flexible resiliently yieldable side walls 11 and 12 for receivingthe novel detergent dispenser B, which is detachably and operativelyassociated therewith.

Detergent Dispenser The detergent dispenser B comprises a detergentpackage holding body with a funnel-shaped lower section 21 and with anupper rectangular section 22. The upper section has side walls 23 and 24and is open at the top with a rear wall extension 25.

The extension 25 provides a guide surface and facilitates the insertionof an inverted opened original detergent package C into the open topportion of the dispenser body section 22 and also the subsequentwithdrawal of the empty package after its contents have been dispensedthrough the valve portion E of the dispenser. Also, in addition to beinga guide the extension or flap 25 serves as a shield to protect the wallor support surface for the dispenser from being soiled by a users greasyfingers and the like after the dispenser B and detergent carton aremounted in the bracket A as hereinafter described and likewise keeps thewall from being rubbed and marred with repeated usage.

The upper side walls 23 and 24 of the rectangular section 22 are eachrespectively formed with elongated dovetail longitudinal lug members 26.Thus the dovetail shap of each elongated lug has a specific coactivefunction with the side edges of its respective mating slot 14 incooperation with the same action of the dovetailed lug and its matingslot on the opposite side wall of the dispenser B.

For example, when the respective dovetail lugs 26 are simultaneouslyinserted at the mouths into their respective slots 14, the inward slantof the sides 27 and 28 of each lug, see FIGURE 1, serve to produce acamlike action to provide an inward pulling force of the fl xible andmovable sides 11 and 12 of bracket A toward each other, inwardly towardthe side walls 23 and 24 of the detergent dispenser B. This results in afirm and sn supporting connection between the side walls of the bracketA and the open bottom dispenser body B, to thereby prevent anyundesirable vibration rattles between the bracket A and the wall mounteddispenser unit B. Such vibrations usually develop from the noise andvibration of any adjacent washing apparatus or other mechanical causesof vibrations, such as may develop from automatic refrigerators and thelike.

The dispenser body B in the lower extremity at its lower funnel-shapedsection 21 is formed with a flow valve housing 30 open at the bottom. Inthis open bottom housing is mounted a novel valve plate 31 formed withan outlet flow opening 32, see FIGURE 2, in a suitably offset flatsurface portion of the plate. The plate 31 is mounted in alignedtransverse slots formed in the mid-section of the flow valve housing 30,so as to be suspended and guided for reciprocation under the open end ofa gravity flow outlet chute 33, see FIGURE 2, whereby the outlet flowopening 32 in the valve plate 31 may be manually selectively positionedwith its slot into and out of registry with the outlet chute 33.

The manual operation of the valve plate is facilitated by the upstandinghandle 34 formed by the tab on one end of the valve plate and a pulloutwardly on the handle is against the biasing action or resistiveaction of a coil spring 35 suitably secured at the forward end to theforward underside of the valve plate 31 and at the rearward end to anapertured L-shaped lug 30 secured to a side portion of the valve housing30 fixed relative to the valve plate 31. This lug 30 is generally shownin FIG- -URE 2.

Also, as a guide and control of the valve plate to open position thereis provided an upstanding stop 36. This stop may be formed from thematerial of the plate itself at the aft end of the valve plate slot,while at the fore end of the slot the valve plate 31 is similarly formedwith an upstanding stop 37 adapted to engage the lower edge of theforward wall of the outlet chute 33, when the valve plate 31 is biasedby the normal compression of the spring 35 into the closed non-flowposition, see FIG- URE 2.

Thus the valve housing 30, the valve plate 31 and the upstanding stops36 and 37 provide a gate valve arrangement for manual control of theflow of dry detergent from .the container ,C and from the flow chute 33into a suitable measuring receptacle 38. For example, see FIGURE 2,which shows one example of a measuring cup 38 normally positioned on ashelf 39 preferably formed integrally with the lower part of bracketplate 13 in a position below the open bottom of the valve housing 30.

The shelf 39 is preferably of a similar matching material to the bracketA and integral therewith, but in some instances may be separate.Preferably the entire assembly is made of plastic with no metal partsexcept for the s curing fasteners or screws S and the gate valve spring35. The shelf 39 is formed with an unobstructed leading edge 40 and withside triangular walls 41 and 42 with their respective apices adjacentthe edge 40, whereby the cup 38 is reasonably safe from lateraldisplacement and reduces the chances of the measuring cup falling fromthe shelf.

Assembly, loading and operation The assembly of the present inventionhas been described hereinbefore in detail. However, prior to assembly orto the mounting of the loaded dispenser B in the wall bracket A, it isintended that a detergent carton C be end opened, and inserted with theopened end toward the funnel portion 21 of the dispenser B. With thedetergent carton C thus positioned in the dispenser B, the same i turnedso the carton C is inverted and mounted in the side wall 12 and 13 ofthe wall bracket A as shown in FIGURE 1.

A brief summary of the preparation for the operation of the assembledunit is as follows:

First, the box top of a detergent carton A is removed entirely;

Second, the dispenser B is held over the open top of the container Awith the valve assembly facing up;

Third, the dispenser B is then manually made to slide over the detergentcarton A inclosing it completely;

Fourth, the thus assembled dispenser and carton are inverted with thevalve assembly downward;

Fifth, the dispenser is placed in the bracket A attached to the wall;

Sixth, the measuring cup is placed on the shelf under the valveassembly;

Seventh, the valve handle is pulled outward of the valve assembly anddry detergent, soap or the like flows into the measuring cup;

Eighth, the lever or valve handle is released and the spring returns thevalve plate to cut off the detergent flow into the measuring cup whenthe required amount has entered the cup.

Without further description it is believed that the advantages of thepresent invention over the prior art is apparent and while only oneembodiment of the same is illustrated, it is to be expressly understoodthat the same is not limited thereto as various changes may be made inthe combination and arrangement of the parts illustrated, as will nowlikely appear to others and those skilled in the art. For a definitionof the scope or limits of the invention, reference should be had to theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination holder anddispenser for dry product means from theiroriginal package comprising a wall bracket formed with a rear wall andspaced side walls, said side walls being flexible and formed withvertical slots, and a dispenser unit comprising a rectangular packagereceiving portion and a lower funnel portion, said package receivingportion having means engageable in said slots, a gate valve assembly atthe mouth of the funnel portion, and a shelf below said valve assemblyfor a receiver cup when said dispenser is mounted in said bracket.

2. A combination holder and dispenser as described in claim 1, whereinsaid shelf is formed as an integral part of said rear wall of saidbracket, said wall being relatively longer than said dispenser wherebysaid shelf is spaced below said valve assembly.

3. A combination holder and dispenser as described in claim 1, whereinsaid shelf comprises an unobstructed leading edge and lateral sidetriangular walls with their respective apices adjacent said edge.

4. A vertically supported dry product dispenser for derergent packagesand the like comprising a package holder portion and a lower funnelportion, a discharge valve in said funnel portion, a bracket formounting said walled package holder portion of the dispenser verticallywith the funnel portion and the said discharge valve downward, and aspring connected to said valve to bias and return said valve from anopen position to a closed position, said package holder portionincluding side walls and wherein said bracket includes movable sidewalls, each side wall of said package holder portion and of said brackethaving respective connection means adapted to mate with each 5 8 otherto thereby eifectively mount said dispenser vertically References Citedin said bracket in package dispensing position, the said UNITED STATESPATENTS mating means of the respective dispenser and the Wall bracketbeing dovetail lugs and having elongated receiv- 9983-89 7/ 1911 Pemcket 3 ing slots and wherein said side Walls of said bracket are 52,072,938 3/1937 Berg 222-181 A moveabie by the shape of said lugs ofthe side Walls of the 3,217,939 11/1965 Murray X dispenser as theyengage in the said slots of the side Walls ROBERT R ES Primmy Examiner,f the bracket HADD S. LANE, Examiner.

1. A COMBINATION HOLDER AND DISPENSER FOR DRY PRODUCT MEANS FROM THEIRORIGINAL PACKAGE COMPRISING A WALL BRACKET FORMED WITH A REAR WALL ANDSPACED SIDE WALLS, SAID SIDE WALLS BEING FLEXIBLE AND FORMED WITHVERTICAL SLOTS, AND A DISPENSER UNIT COMPRISING A RECTANGULAR PACKAGERECEIVING PORTION AND A LOWER FUNNEL PORTION, SAID PACKAGE RECEIVINGPORTION HAVING MEANS ENGAGEABLE IN SAID SLOTS, A GATE VALVE ASSEMBLY ATTHE MOUTH OF THE FUNNEL PORTION, AND A SHELF BELOW SAID VALVE ASSEMBLYFOR A RECEIVER CUP WHEN SAID DISPENSER IS MOUNTED IN SAID BRACKET.